Structural device



STRUCTURAL DEVICE; Filed April 15, 1961 INVENTOR. PAUL H. 5L OAN A TTOPNEFS rates This invention relates in general to a carrier structure supportable upon a track and, more particularly, to a type thereof including a roller engageable with a pair of spaced, parallel rails on said track and hanger means extending downwardly between said rails for supporting a panel.

For many years there has been widespread use of traverse rod assemblies including a track and a plurality of sliders or carriers mounted upon the track. In many cases, cable means have been connected to one or more of said carriers for effecting movement of a panel supported upon and suspended from said carriers. In general, these traverse assemblies are used to support panels both for decorative purposes and as an effective closure means.

It is well known that the existing carriers, by means of which the panels have previously beensupported upon and moved along the track, have long been the source of many problems. That is the carrier should have sufficiently low frictional characteristics with respect to the track as to enable an operator to effect the desired movement with a minimum of force applied thereto and yet they must also engage the track sufficiently snugly that they will be held firmly therein and will not twist or jam within or on the track structure. Further, the hangers must be inexpensive and yet sturdy, and they must be easy to handle, particularly in their installation into the track. These several, often conflicting, requirements have in the past presented a variety of diihculties in connectionwith the provision of traverse rod supported draperyand it has in the past often been necessary to sacrifice one or more of the above-named desired features in order to obtain others of such features.

In view of the development of the present invention to meeting a specific problem in connection with the supporting of draperies from traverse rods, specific reference is made herein to the use and operation of the carrier structure in connection with a panel supporting traverse, which traverse assembly may be cable operated or manually operated. However, it will be recognized that such specific reference is for illustrative purposes only and that the invention will be applicable to other uses of a similar nature.

Accordingly, a primary object of this invention has been the provision of a carrier construction capable of supporting a panel upon the track of a traverse assembly wherein said carrier is capable of movement along the track with a minimum of force being applied thereto in the direction of such movement and wherein said carrier is arranged and constructed so that the panel engaging hanger thereon is held against substantial movement transversely of the supporting track.

A further object of this invention has been the provision of a carrier structure, as aforesaid, which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, which can be easily and. quickly connected to flexible panels, which requires little or no maintenance, ,whichcan be used more effectively and efilciently than most existing carriers for the same or similar purposes, which is easy to install, which is substantially foolproof in operation, which will not jamb in, or pivot excessively with respect to, the track which supports it, and which when panel traversing cables are used, is operable with a type of track configuration 3,@?,Z22 Patented Feic. 5., 1953 wherein the carriers cannot interfere with, or be obstructed in their movement by such cables.

Other object sand purposes of this invention Will become apparent to persons familiar with this type of equipment upon reading the following descriptive material and examining the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a fragment of a traverse assembly including a carrier embodying the invention. f

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along the line l-L-II in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of a carrier embodying the invention.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is an exploded sectional view of said carrier similar to that shown in FlGURE 4.

For convenience in description, the terms upper, lower and words of similar import will have reference to the carrier of the invention and parts associated therewith as appearing in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3. The terms front, rear and derivatives thereof will have reference to the right and left sides, respectively, of the struc- I ture of the invention as appearing in FIGURE 2. The terms inner, outer" and derivatives thereof will have reference to the geometric center of said structure and parts associated therewith.

General Description ing. A roller having a pair of spaced annular external flangesextending radially outwardly from the peripheral surface thereof is disposed within the cylindrical opening so that the opposite axial ends or" the roller project outwardly through the opposite sides of the body mem her. The body member is provided with internal annular flangemeans which extend into said cylindrical opening on opposite sides of said external annular flanges which are disposed therebetween. A plurality of bearing balls are disposed Within the annular groove defined between the annular flanges for rotatably supporting the roller within the body member.

The carrier is supportable upon a track having span of spaced, parallel rails which are engaged by the op posite 'end portions of the roller. The hanger element extends between the rails, and guide means on the body member cooperates with the roller to engage the track and thereby prevent excessive pivoting of the body memher and hanger with respect to the track.

Detailed Construction substantially vertical central wall 16 which serves as the front wall of the rear passageway 12 and the rear wall of the front passageway 13. The rear passageway 12.

has an upper wall 17 which is preferably substantially coplanar with, and an extension of, the upper wall 18 of the front passageway. The rear passageway 12 has a bottom wall 19 and a pair of preferably coplanar and substantially vertical flanges 22 and 23 which extend downwardly and upwardly, respectively, from the rearward edges of the upper wall 17 and bottom wall 19 toward each other to define the slot 24- which communicates with-the rear side of the passageway 12 and extends lengthwise thereof. The flanges 22 and 23 serve as guide rails in a manner discussed hereinafter.

The front passageway 13 (FIGURE 2) has a front wall 26 extending downwardly from the front edge of the upper wall 13 and a pair of preferably coplanar and substantially horizontal flanges 2'7 and 28 which are integral with and extend toward each other from the lower edge of the front wall 26 and an opposing portion of the front side of the central wall 16. The flanges 27 and 28 define a slot 29 which communicates with the lower side of the front passageway 13 throughout its length. The upper wall 13 of the front passageway 13 has in its upper surface an undercut recess 32 which extends lengthwise thereof. The upper Wall 17 has a lip 33 which projects beyond the flange 22 and extends lengthwise of the track. The lip 33 and recess 32 are provided for mounting the track by means not shown.

It will be apparent that the carrier 10 can be utilized with other types of track configurations, but the above disclosed track II has been found to be satisfactory for this purpose. The track may be fabricated from any convenient material such as metal or plastics.

The carrier 19 (FIGURES 2, 3 and 4) in its preferred form is comprised of a relatively flat, substantially circular body member 36, which has a centrally located and relatively large, cylindrical opening 37 extending coaxially therethrough. A substantially flat hanger element 38 is preferably integral with the body member 36 and extends radially therefrom approximately midway between the axial ends thereof. The body member 36 and hanger element 38 are preferably fabricated from a plastic material such as nylon.

The body member 36 (FIGURE 4) has an integral, annular flange 39 adjacent one axial end thereof which extends radially inwardly a slight distance from the wall 40 defining the cylindrical opening 37. The body member 36 also has an annular flange 42 which projects axially from the other axial end of the body member concentric with and adjacent to said cylindrical opening 37. During assembly of the carrier 19, the flange 42 is spun, pressed or,otherwise moved fro-m its axially extending position of FIGURE into its radially inwardly extending position of FIGURE 4, Where it has about the same internal diameter as the flange 39.

The extended end of the hanger element 33 (FIGURES 3 and 4) has a pin opening 43, the central axis of which extends in the same direction as the cylindrical opening 37 for reception of a pin, such as the pin shown in broken lines at 44 in FIGURE. 1, for engaging a panel, such as the drape 45. The portions of the hanger element 38 adjacent the lower edge and side edges of the pin opening 43 may be strengthened by the integral, embossments 46 and 4-7 (FIGURE 4) on opposite sides of the hanger element 38.

The body member 36 (FIGURES 2 and 4) includes four integral abutments 48, 49, 50 and 51 which are arranged in coaxial pairs and extending from the body member 36. That is, the abutments 48 and 49 extend from one side of the body member 36 and the abutments 50 and 5f extend from the opposite side thereof. The abutments 48, 49, 5t) and 51 define a plane which perpendicularly intersects the carrier adjacent the connection of the hanger element 33 with thebody member 36, said plane being spaced downwardly from the cylindrical opening 37 a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the flanges 27 and'ZS on the track 11.

A roller 55 (FIGURES 4 and'S) is rotatably disposed within the cylindrical opening 37 so that the axial ends 56 and 57 thereof extend beyond the adjacent axial sides of the body member 36 (FIGURE 4). The roller 55 has a pair of spaced, annular flanges 58 and 59 which extend radially outwardly from, and are integral with, the peripheral surface of the roller 55 near the center thereof. Said flanges 58 and 59 are of diameter slightly less than the diameter of the cylindrical opening 37 and they define a groove 62 which is preferably located midway between the axial ends of the roller 55. The groove 62 is arranged to receive and snugly engage a plurality of bearing balls 63 which, when disposed within said groove 52, project slightly beyond the peripheral edges of the flanges 58 and 59 for engagement with the wall 40 defining the cylindrical opening 37, whereby the roller 5'5 is rotatably supported Within and upon the body member 3d. The annular flanges 53 and 59 are disposed between, and in overlapping and sliding engagement with, the annular flanges 39 and 42 on the body member 36, whereby material axial movement of the roller 55 with respect to the body member 36 is prevented.

The diameters of the axial end portions 56 and 57 of the roller 55 are such that the distance between said axial end portions 56 and 57 and the said plane defined by the upper edges of the abutments d8, 49, 50 and 51 is slightly greater than the thickness of the flanges 27 and 28 on the track 11. The width of the slot 29 is slightly greater than the thickness of the body member 36 adjacent said abutments. Accordingly, the body member 36 can be slidably disposed within the slot 29 when the ends of the roller 55 are engaging the upper surfaces of the flanges 27 and 28 and the abutments 4-3, 49, 5t) and 51 are disposed below said flanges 27 and 28. The central opening 64, which extends coaxially through the roller 55, reduces the weight thereof and materials therein.

Operation As indicated from the above description, the roller 55 (FIGURE 5) is assembled with the body member 36 by inserting the axial end 57 thereof through the cylindrical opening 37 and then through the annular flange 39 with the bearing balls 63 disposed in the groove 62. Thereafter, the annular flange 42 is turned from its axial position of FIGURE 5 into its position of FIGURE 4 so that it and the flange 39 overlap the annular flanges 59 and 58 on the roller 55. The carrier it) is now ready for assembly with the track 11 by inserting the roller 55 into one end of the passageway 13 so that the abutments 48, 49, 50 and 51 are disposed upon the lower sides of the flanges 27 and 28, and the hanger element 33 extends downwardly therefrom.

A panel 45 (FIGURE 1), such as a drape, is then mounted upon the hanger elements 38 by means, such as a pin 44 which can extend through the pin openings 43, for example, in the hanger elements 38.

The panel is then movable manually or by a suitable cable (not shownlin a conventional manner lengthwise of the flanges defining the slots 24 and 29 (FIGURE 1). The abutments 48, 49, 50 and 51 on the carrier 10 prevent any material amount of pivotal movement by the carrier 10 around the axis of the roller 55 with respect to the track 11. Thus, said abutments prevent the hanger element 38 from swinging into the passageway 13, when the pin 44 is not applied to the hanger. The abutments also cooperate with the roller 55 to reduce materially the transverse movement of the hanger element 38 forwardly and rearwardly with respect to the track 11.

Although particular, preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed above for illustrative purposes, it will be recognized that variations or modificatlons of such disclosure, which come within the scope of the appended claims, are fully contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. A carrier construction movably mountable upon a track, comprising: a body member having a cylindrical opening therethrough, said body member having inwardly extending flanges near the opposite axial ends of said 1 8;

4. A carrier structure for supporting a flexible panel upon and beneath an elongated traverse rod having two pair of spaced, parallel and substantially horizontal rails, comprising:

a one-piece, molded plastic body member having a cylindrical, central opening therethrough;

a first pair of spaced, annular flanges integral with said body member and extending radially inwardly therefrom into said central opening at the opposite ends thereof;

a hanger element integral with and extending from said body member in a direction perpendicular to the central axis of said cylindrical opening;

an axially elongated, substantially cylindrical, onepiece, molded plastic roller disposed within said cylindrical opening, the opposite axial end portions of said roller extending through the opposite axial a hanger connected to and extending away from said body member in a direction substantially perpendicular to the central axis of said opening;

a roller rotatably and coaxially disposed within said cylindrical opening, said roller being of smaller diameter than said opening, the opposite axial ends of said roller extending through the opposite sides of said body member, said roller having spaced, outwardly extending flanges on the peripheral surface thereof spaced from the ends thereof and defining 10 annular groove means in said surface, said outwardly extending flanges beingdisposed in overlapping relationship with said inwardly extending flanges; and

a plurality of bearing elements disposed within said groove means for rotatably supporting said roller Within said body member.

2. A carrier construction for supporting a flexible panel upon a track having a pair of Spaced, horizontal sldespf sald y member'and having diameters and substantially parallel rails, comprising: creasing gradually away from each other;

a one-piece body member having a relatively large, a second pair of spaced, similar and annular flanges substantially cylindrical opening therethrough, said body member having a pair of integral spaced flanges projecting into said opening near-the opposite axial ends thereof;

drical opening in said body member, the axial ends of said roller extending through and beyond the axial sides of said body member, said roller having a pair of spaced, similar and annular integral flanges extending outwardly from the peripheral surface thereof to define an annular groove intermediate the ends of said roller, said flanges being disposed between and in overlapping and sliding contact with said flanges on said body member, whereby said integral with said roller and extending radially outwardly from the peripheral surface thereof and defining an annular groove substantially midway between the axial ends of said roller, said second a hanger element secured to and extending from said flanges bei11g disposed we n and respectively body member in a direction substantially perpendicuadlacent t0 Sald flanges and 111 oveflapplng lar to the central axis of said cylindrical opening, laflgemem thFTBWIth Wherfiby axial ement of said hanger element having an opening therethrough Salt! foller W131 respect to Said y mfimbfil' is near the extended end thereof; P Y y PP F I one-piece roller rotatably disposed within the cylina plufallty 0f beafmg balls dISPOSEd Wlthln Said groo e and engaging said body member for rotatably supporting said roller therein; and

two spaced pairs of substantially coaxial abutments integral with said body member, the abutments in each pair extending laterally from opposite axial sides of said body member, the axes of said abutments defining a plane spaced from the peripheral surfaces of the end portions of said roller distances slightly greater than the thickness of one pair of roller is held against axial movement wtih respect 40 a Tails, f y Sa id 9 P r Of ls can be to said bcdy member; and disposed on said opposite sides of said body member a plurality of bearing balls disposed within said groove between Sald roller and 83 d abutments.

and en a in said bod member for rotatably supporting sa id roller therie in, said roller being engage- References cued m the file of thls Patent able with and supported by the rails when said UNITED STATES PATENTS hanger element is suspended here w 281,054- Grace July 10, 1883 3. The structure of claim 2 where n Sa d y member 317,496 Bullard May 12, 1885 has a pair of abutments extending laterally from opp si e 946,056 Knape Jan, 11, 1910 axial sides thereof and spaced from said roller, each rail 1,005,860 Mann Oct. 17, 1911 being slidably receivable between said roller and one of 2,494,009 Sharp Jan. 10, 1950 said abutments. 5 erdig Aug. 8, 1961 

1. A CARRIER CONSTRUCTION MOVABLY MOUNTABLE UPON A TRACK, COMPRISING: A BODY MEMBER HAVING A CYLINDRICAL OPENING THERETHROUGH, SAID BODY MEMBER HAVING INWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGES NEAR THE OPPOSITE AXIAL ENDS OF SAID OPENING; 